Iran has characterized its Tuesday attack as a measured response to Israel’s ongoing provocations.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the missile strikes were retaliation for the killings of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders, including Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
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Alongside Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7, Hezbollah is part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”—a coalition of Islamist militias across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen.
These proxies provide Iran with strategic depth against its adversaries.
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The world awaited Iran’s response following the assassination of Hamas’ prominent figure after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in July, especially after Israel’s assassination of Nasrallah as it escalated its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pointed speech aimed at Iran, asserting that Israel was “changing the balance of power in the region” and that “there is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel will not reach.”
He claimed Nasrallah’s death was essential for allowing thousands of residents displaced by Hezbollah rocket attacks to return home and to prevent the group from launching a major assault on Israel.
U.S. officials have long believed that both Iran and senior Hezbollah leaders have sought to avoid an all-out war with Israel, even as hostilities continue.
However, Iran has made it clear that any Israeli response would lead to further escalation. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked that Tuesday’s operation was “only a portion of our power.”
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